Fans in Portland had their hopes dashed as WNBA expansion plans to the city fell through, but women's basketball fans will appreciate New York Liberty star player Sabrina Ionescu's take on an expansion team to the Rose City.
In an event held Oct. 30 for the unveiling of a new basketball court at the Regence Boys & Girls Club of Portland, Ionescu, a former University of Oregon standout, shared her ongoing support for bringing professional women's basketball to Portland. She emphasized the growth of fan support in Oregon and her belief in the potential success of a WNBA team in the city.
“I’ve been pushing for a WNBA team here,” Ionescu said, via Ryan Clarke of The Oregonian/OregonLive “Just understanding what we’ve been able to witness from the fans in the last couple years, and how it’s continued to grow.”
Portland's bid for a WNBA team hit a major roadblock Nov. 1 with the anticipated renovations at Moda Center, which emerged as a central obstacle. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert confirmed in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden that the league's expansion plans for Portland have been “deferred” due to the “timing and scope of arena improvements” at Moda Center.
Engelbert highlighted the renovations at the arena, which are expected to take place during consecutive summers, as the primary reason for putting the expansion on hold. This coincides with the WNBA's regular season, complicating the logistics for housing a new team.
Local entrepreneur Kirk Brown, founder of ZoomInfo, had publicly shared his plans last year to pursue an expansion team for Portland.
Despite the setback, Portland continues to be seen as a city with potential for future WNBA expansion. A spokesperson for Wyden expressed the senator's ongoing commitment to bringing a WNBA team to the city, stating that he is “committed to continue working hard with everybody in Portland who’s teaming up to bring our city and state a WNBA franchise.”
For Sabrina Ionescu, playing a team in Portland “wouldn't be an away game for me,” she said. “I think it’d be a home game. To be able to play two games here in front of my home crowd, being able to do that would be a full-circle moment for me as well since I never really got a final goodbye in 2020 from Oregon. The four years I had here was cut short, so being able to come back would be something I can’t even think about. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m really hoping it will.”
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